Auburn, N.Y. -- The Skaneateles man stabbed to death on Saturday was trying to stop a stranger from choking a woman outside the house party they were at in the city of Auburn, according to Auburn police Detective Jeff Mead.

Matthew Prego, 28, died after intervening when he saw a woman being choked, police said. Here he is with his mother, Lori Prego. (Courtesy of the Prego family.)

Matthew Prego, 28, was found on the street outside 33 Case Ave. around 12:37 a.m. Saturday morning with multiple stab wounds. Prego was taken to Auburn Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Prego intervened when he saw Kevin Ritchie, 28, choking a woman in the yard outside the house party, police said. The two men fought each other, and punches were thrown.

After the fight, Ritchie left the party, walked about a block away from the house, came back and stabbed Prego several times on the street, Mead said.

"We have a guy who made a difference but paid the ultimate price," Mead said.

Ritchie has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held in jail.

Ritchie fought at least one other person at the party before the stabbing, Auburn police said.

Partygoers first noticed him acting erratically and in anger after he lost his bowl, which he used to take illegal drugs, Mead said.

Kevin Ritchie has been charged with second degree murder. (Courtesy of the Auburn Police Department)

"He supposedly made comments about stabbing people, assaulting people over that," Mead said. "That's when people were starting to think, 'This guy's being a jerk, we've got to get him out of here."

Ritchie then got into a fight with another man unidentified by police. They threw punches during the altercation, Mead said. Police haven't determined what the argument was about.

Then, police don't know how much later, Ritchie began hitting and choking a woman, Mead said.

Prego was driving up to the house party when he saw the woman being choked, according to Mead.

"(Prego) immediately intervened," getting out of his car to confront Ritchie as soon as he saw what was happening, Mead said.

After allegedly stabbing Prego, Ritchie fled the scene. A police K-9 found him in a neighbor's backyard underneath a bush at around 2:15 a.m.

Ritchie was "under the influence of alcohol" when caught, Mead said. In addition to the murder charge, he is also accused of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

There's no indication Prego and Ritchie knew each other before the party, according to Mead. Mead added that police are not sure if there was a romantic relationship between either Prego and the woman or Ritchie and the woman.